Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Mandi Castillo performs during the knockout round on The Voice Season 18. (NBC Photo)

Mandi Castillo will be one of the talented singers vying for fans’ votes when The Voice resumes Monday night.

She’ll be representing Team John Legend in the playoffs following a knockout round victory over Thunderstorm Artis.

Mandi performed “Stand By Me” in a knockout round match that aired last Monday. And while both singers received praise for their performances, John awarded the win to Mandi.

Thunderstorm wound up advancing as well. He was stolen by Nick Jonas.

Here’s what Mandi told Voice Views about her knockout round experience. From San Antonio, Texas, and 23 when she auditioned, you’ll remember that Mandi also turned four chairs with her Season 18 blind audition.

Voice Views: Can you elaborate a bit on that knockout round sound choice? Why you decided to go with “Stand Be Me”?

Mandi: I chose “Stand By Me” because it is one of my favorite songs to perform with a good friend of mine, Rafael. Rafael is fighting lymphoma cancer currently, and this was my dedication to him. It was my way of saying to keep fighting and to always stand by me.

Voice Views: What’s your performance history with that song? Is it one you’ve performed live often?

Mandi: I have four years of history with this song! It was a song I would perform with my accompanist Rafael when I first moved to California.

Mandi Castillo and Thunderstorm Artis listen to the feedback following their knockout round match on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

Voice Views: How did you feel about your chances of advancing once the performances were completed?

Mandi: I sang my heart out on that stage, and I sang “Stand By Me” in a way I had never sang it before. I feel like I was able to showcase something new and that’s why I had a good feeling about my chances in advancing.

Voice Views: Anything else you’d like to add about the knockout round experience?

Mandi: The knockout experience was such a blessing. Meeting James Taylor was a memory to treasure forever! I also learned so much about myself and who I want to be as an artist. I feel like I have no limits, and I just wanna keep reaching for the stars.

Voice Views: Singers are now through three rounds of the show. Can you pinpoint / explain the biggest improvement you think you’ve made to this point as a result of the show?

Mandi: I feel like my biggest improvement on the show was being able to showcase different areas of my singing styles.

Voice Views: And, finally, during this lockdown period, what have you been doing to stay musically sharp and make sure you’re ready when competition resumes?

Mandi: During this quarantine, I’ve been writing a lot and doing vocal exercises everyday.

See also …
Meet Mandi Castillo and learn about the music she’s already releasedMeet Mandi Castillo and learn about the music she’s already released
Mandi Castillo talks about her blind audition on The VoiceMandi Castillo talks about her blind audition on The Voice
Mandi Castillo talks about her battle round match on The VoiceMandi Castillo talks about her battle round match on The Voice